HONDA STREAM RSZ OFFERS BALANCE AND ASTUTE COMFORT

The new Honda Stream RSZ is recognized as the "7-day coupe" to highlight the vehicle’s performance, sophistication and spaciousness in an elegant manner. What’s a 7-day coupe? Imagine a sporty vehicle that eliminates the stereotype of a family car, yet retains its versatility that’s suitable for any occasion.
 

Our recent premium White Pearl Stream RSZ presented an overall more aggressive outlook compared to the normal Stream variant.  The vehicle has been marked up most noticeably on its overall exterior motives; elegant front fog lights, stylish door mirrors, multi-spoke alloy rims, a menacing front bumper and grille design, a dynamic rear spoiler, sporty taillights, a new rear bumper and diffuser and sleek side skirts.    

 

A glance at the front, you’ll notice the car’s forward-thrusting shape with a re-designed large grille and ingenious headlights that add further aggression and dynamism to the RSZ’s front intentions.

 

Interior wise, the RSZ provides exceptional ambience and improved practicality suitable for driver, front and rear passengers alike. Additionally, it does fit up to seven, more precisely, 5 adults and 2 children quite handily. The RSZ spots black and red color interior to make a statement of the fast and furious styling, a red illumination speedometer and alloy pedals (above right), all these elements get our notch for the RSZ's intention to resemble a sportscar. Other well-defined interior amenities include; a call-to-action cockpit, steering wheel paddle shifters and audio controls, tyre repair kit, centre console and red-ring cup holders.  

 

Spacious performance is what the Stream RSZ is all about, despite its similar wheelbase and cabin dimension to its predecessor.  Comfort and storage purposes are ensured for 7 passengers for short or long distance drives, while retractable compartments are available for extra storage requirements. Inside the RSZ, you may opt for 2-person to full-space mode or 5-person mode to semi-flat mode.

 

Looking under the hood, the RSZ’s 1.8 4 Cylinder 16 Valve SOHC i-VTEC powerplant is expected to churn up to 140 PS @ 6300 rpm with a torque capability of 174 Nm/4300rpm. With adequate power on the road, this latest Stream variant does get you going in a hurry when coupled with its 5-speed Drive-by-wire (DBW) transmission system that ensures smoother and instant acceleration surge, whenever the situation calls for it. The RSZ has been inspired by grand-touring coupes, hence its architecture and low-centre of gravity simply allow you to drive it like a sedan rather than your regular old MPV.  

 

Handling and drive stability on the RSZ rely on front McPherson struts and rear reactive link double wishbone suspensions, and front disc and rear drum brakes. With Honda’s technological advancement, the RSZ is also fitted with Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and Anti-Lock Braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD). These elements not only allow you to drive it like your regular sedan, but sometimes even encourage you to pounce it a bit on the road.

 

The Safety package of the RSZ is evident with an array of features such as increased rigidity, reinforced connection points, high-tensile steel body and the all-important G-Con (G-Force Control Technology). The G-Con acts to absorb and disperses collision impacts through crumple zones while maintaining a survival zone for occupants.

 

After a recent test drive courtesy of Honda Malaysia, we were rather satisfied with the Stream RSZ's moderate performance and justifiable comfortability. The overall exterior appeal was most obvious with its redesigned front grille and articulate headlamps. The rear did not sway too much away from the previous variant, except for the appealing smoked tail lights which add to a definite sporty demeanor. From the sides, the RSZ presented a rather aerodynamically savvy arc shape thanks in part to its cool side skirts.  
 

Its interior was large and provided an evident roominess instantly. On the cockpit and centre console, Honda has altered a little here and there compared to its former variant with its much easier to access centre console amenities; entertainment system, a/c functions, etc, and proximity of the gear lever. Up top, there was also a handy sunroof, most suitable for sun-tanning and kids to stick their heads out on leisure drives.  

 

The rear passengers were more than satisfied with the comfort level of this variant more profoundly on a longer journey with the RSZ’s spacious legroom and roominess.

 

Our driving routine took us mostly trunk roads and fewer highways for proper scrutinizing of the RSZ’s proclaimed stability and handling abilities. Cornering at 120km/h on permitted roads, the RSZ surprisingly held its own, but we had a tendency to feel its weighty rear acting up every now and then.  

We cruised at speeds between 160 to 180 km/h on straights and highways without much hassle, but we felt the car was somewhat on the edge and probably could still reach 200km/h if we pushed it a bit more. More noticeably, the RSZ had a much improved sound proofing as compared to its predecessor.

 

Performance-wise, this variant held its own ground, but we discovered several gear switch glitches especially from stop-go situations and heavy traffic conditions. But, beyond the second gear, the RSZ entailed smooth gear changes and easy acceleration. On ascending and tight roads, the car had no real issue negotiating bends, blind-spot corners and enforced emergency braking once the standard VSA and ABS with EBD kicked in on more challenging speed and forced braking conditions.

 

Fuel efficiency was mediocre given our choice to romp the town/city roads rather than highways, but an average of 13 – 14 km per litre was tracked on our Pearl White RSZ.

 

In a nutshell, the RSZ is all about a balance of sedan-like features on an MPV platform or to a certain degree, a Crossover category. It does live up to its claim of a balanced vehicle based on its affluent concepts – spacious performance, comfort, superior safety packages and sporty exterior.

 

For more details, visit www.honda.com.my or call its customer service at 1-800-88-2020.

 

 

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